Art Bob 1

Art Bob was a popular gay artist in the 60s with an unmistakeable, playful style. He depicted young men enjoying life and getting into 'interesting' situations. I've never reviewed his work here before but have previously posted sample images, also more recently at the mitchmen account at BSkySocial.  

 

Art Bob - A Little Pull From A Buddy

 

Many of Art-Bob's images will be well known to my readers, so I'm starting this article with one of his less familiar ones. It shows a guy helping his dormitory buddy into a tight-fitting suit -  a diving or flying suit perhaps or, given the imagery on the walls, some sort of spacesuit. 

 

It's not exactly clear what he's doing to help, except that he's using a thread. The suit area below his foot shows cross-stitching and yet the suit seems to have a zip. Sewing it all up seems decidedly kinky. 

 

Even more surprising (for the 50s) is that his foot is placed firmly on his buddies' groin. You don't have to be familiar with foot fetish to perceive the erotic nature of this gesture, the recipient is clearly 'getting it', as it were! For the avoidance of doubt, rockets thrust skywards behind them 

 

The would-be astronaut is a typical example of the artist's usual fare of young and slightly gauche subjects, but his buddy is something else. Stubbled chin plus a hairy and muscular physique, complemented by a rare sight of Y-Front style, white underwear. Hunks like this pop up refreshingly in other pictures by Art Bob. 

 

The title is an example of Art Bob's humorous innuendo. It seems charmingly coy to us but was necessarily so in 1959 when this was published. Most of the images presented here were drawn in the 50s, an era of repression on both sides of the Atlantic. 

 

 

Art Bob - A Stitch In Time

This picture also has a sewing theme. Another hunky buddy helps to fix his (nervous) chum's jeans. The pithy title suggests it's a repair, but these look well past being fixed 'in time'. In the 50s, fashionable young men started to have their jeans altered to fit more tightly round the bum. The most professional technique involved unpicking the centre seam of the pants, like this, cutting away a 'dart', and then sewing it back up. 

 

Needless to say, few lads were accomplished sewers, but if they were lucky their mums or girlfriends would do it for them. Otherwise, they had to call on a 'best mate', whose expertise might be just as lacking as their own. Doing the alteration with the jeans still in place is a typically male solution to the problem of getting it as tight as possible. But it's not without risk, as the stick-on plaster shows.

 

Quite why the helpful friend is nearly naked for this task is a mystery, but who's complaining? His muscular body is clearly shaved below waist level. The 50s furnishings in the background are a delightful detail, not least because the artist's style exactly complements it. No modern home could be without a cheese plant back then. 

 

 

Ronald Wright - A Stitch In Time?

Art-Bob's 'stitch' was very well-received and was reproduced in a number of contemporary beefcake magazines. English artist Ronald Wright was so impressed with the idea that he made his own version, copying the original composition pretty much exactly, but dressing the characters differently and relocating it (bizarrely) to a sports locker room. It's not a patch on the original, but the deliberate reversal of the characterisations is quite interesting.

 

 

Art Bob - Just The Ticket

Buddy collaboration features in this image too. Two lads in a beach buggy are trying to talk a cop out of giving them a ticket. While the cop is distracted, another member of the party reaches out of the boot (US, trunk) to let down his tyres. You don't notice it at first because of the absurd perspective and distance. It's quite an artistic hand, feminine potentially. The passenger feigns innocence on both counts.

 

The characterisation of the cop is decidedly odd. Wearing a bow tie, tight shirt and sun shades that look as though they belong to a fashion model, he's not exactly the epitome of authority.  

 

Beyond the cartoon joke, the check shorts of the passenger are quite sexy and the flash on the driver's trunks hints at, yet disguises, suggestive shaping. In the distorted, visual vocabulary of the image the driver's hand appears to be nudging the cop's groin, possibly grasping something - and the cop seems to have noticed. The hidden eroticism of the time (see label at foot of post for more).

 

 

Art Bob - The Rescue 1

 

Still at the Seaside, a young man strips off on a jetty to rescue a drowning man. He's not wearing any underwear which only underlines his heroism, putting himself in double jeopardy!

 

The artist has gone over the top with wide-eyed boyishness which doesn't gel at all with the mature, hairy muscularity of the character's physique. However, there's a nice sense of urgency in his improbably confused undressing and off-balance pose. The grasping hand projecting from the water is masterly. 

 

 

Art Bob - The Rescue 2

In the sequel, we see a handsome, young man being dragged from the water by his rescuer, whose concerned face now shows rather more maturity. His discarded clothes can be seen on the jetty in both pictures, the sketchy style seeming to morph them into fishing nets! 

 

The water ripples are delightfully stylish. The lower legs visible beneath them don't reflect reality, in contrast to the hand in the previous picture. That might simply reflect hasty sketching, but there's a modernist argument for showing something that's there, even if you can't see it. You can compare Art-Bob's depiction of dripping water with Tom of Finland's below.

 

Art Bob produced a number of diptychs like this, but these images are a far cry from his usual frivolity and whimsy.
 

 

Tom of Finland - Sailor Rescued From Drowning 1

 

Tom Of Finland's 1963 mini story about a drowning sailor rescued by a biker may have been inspired by this couplet. It's equally brief.

 

Tom of Finland - Sailor Rescued From Drowning 2

 

Interestingly, Tom's and Art-Bob's images interleave rather well to produce a more complete storyline, despite the disparity in technique and dress. Both seem to have decided it would be prudent not to attempt to show the moment where the two men come together in the water.

 

There may be more images in Tom's story, he usually did sets of six around this time, but if he did, I don't have them. 

 

 

Art Bob - Down The Road A-Piece

 

The final picture shows two sailors who also need rescuing. They seem to be stranded in the desert with their kitbags and an empty fuel can. A cowboy is gleefully directing them to the nearest gas station - which is clearly miles away! Little wonder they both look so downcast and dismayed. 

 

The cowboy seems to have his horse with him, the reins are in his hand, but he doesn't seem to be offering to help, perhaps he wants to enjoy their predicament for a while, as do we. 

 

Perhaps his offer of help comes with conditions and he's pointing out the unpalatable alternative. He's dressed pretty provocatively for that species and there's a telltale handkerchief in his back pocket which they haven't seen yet.  

 

I love the depiction of the sailors in this picture - both the butch seated one and the boyish doll-like one on the left. This artist shows his understanding of the sexiness of tight sailor's outfits and mangled caps. His depiction of them can't be faulted. Which is why I posted it previously in the In Praise of Sailors series.

 

More Art-Bob next time 

A-Z of Artists Updated

Miloinvinculis - Dungeon Rack

I have updated the mitchmen A-Z of Artists to include those featured for the first time in the last 12 months at the blog.

see Miloinviculis article 

Dures-Annees - Sent to Buy a Belt

 see Dures-Annees (Hard Years) article

Staked out by Miloinvinculis

Miloininculis - Staked Out In The Desert

 Rescuer or something darker?

Such as a collector of undewear?

 

Miloinvinculis - Kinky Superhero Boyfriend

Or of men? 

Two clever studies in the art of predicament

The Art of Miloinvinculis 

 

The Art of Miloinvinculis

Miloinvinculis - Alien Hive

 I've been trailing a series of video clips by this artist in recent weeks (see Pirate Punishments). These show the (still developing) power of AI to create memorable, homoerotic film scenes which mainstream moviemakers dare not make, bringing niche gay fantasies to life, but without resorting to messy smut. This image is a good example, a still from a clip invoking the power of wetness and dripping 'substance', to underline the vulnerability of a chunky soldier who has somehow got himself stranded in an 'Alien Hive'. 

All the stills presented here come from clips, which you can view at the link given at the foot of this article. Most are quite brief, but add a bit extra to the story and often have a twist, right at the end. 

The old sixties film 'Mysterious Island' has a brief sequence in which a scantily clad cast-away is trapped by a giant bee in his honeycomb. Unlike the unfortunate above, he (a) is not tied up, (b) has a girl with him and (c) escapes almost immediately by melting the wax seal with a fire. Don't ask where he got the firewood and match from! Despite these shortcomings, I found that scene exciting (and frustrating!) when I stumbled on it. (I referenced this it previously here, in an article about the Art of Siproites, which features a giant scorpion chasing the hero into a similar, but botanical trap).   

The outcome of the 'Alien Hive' isn't specified by the artist (like all the best horror movies), 
but escape doesn't seem to be on the agenda.

 

Miloinvinculis - Bed Bondage 3

 Men tied to beds and struggling to escape are not an uncommon sight in our corner of the gay universe. AI to date has shown very limited power to depict bondage convincingly or capture the struggling effect. The spread eagle position is less of a challenge, but what the artist has done here is to provide a hunky subject and a stimulating, secondary predicament for him, wide open before a door, which is going to open at some point. To admit his captor, perhaps, who has been away, getting rid of a nosy cop. Home Alone should have been more like this! 

 

 

Nice Mistake (Video clip)

 

There's definitely a 'Home Alone' feel about this man's situation. His night visitor is so excited about the opportunity thrown up by his 'nice mistake', that he seems to overlook the logistical obstacles to taking full advantage of it. But, who can blame him for his over-eagerness? Fortunately, it appears that his hunky prey is too intimidated by his villainous appearance and aggression to offer any serious resistance. 

 

(Subscribers to the 'Follow Me' feed must vist the site to see the video content of this article, I'm afraid) 

 

 

Miloinvinculis - Caleb

'Caleb' is one of this artist's longer clips. We see him tied up in a van on his way to an uncertain fate. There's a lengthy bondage struggle in which the captive's body twists and turns, showing his heaving chest and the undulations and distortions of his muscles to great erotic effect. It's more effective in that respect than most of the real life bondage clips I've seen, where the models (understandably) usually lack any desire to escape, let alone the self awareness and flamboyance to act out a genuine escape attempt. Caleb's struggle is brought to an abrupt end when his captor returns with a taser (above), but it's fascinating and sexy while it lasts.

 

Miloinvinculis - At The Stake

 This is a great bondage image, with the neck restraint a fitting humiliation for such a big man. I won't go into the exact nature of his predicament, but there's a clue in the background. The resulting video clip is amazing, but graphic, so be warned.

 

Miloinvinculis - Captured POW's

The strength of this piece is the subtle plot development that happens in your mind as you look at it. The two, hyper-real hunks grab the eye immediately, men with faces, muscles and body hair to die for. Their dog tags and hands on their heads indicate they are POW's, but the handcuffs suggest that they are rather special prisoners. We can see that for ourselves, of course. 

 

There's something exciting about two buddies, who are in captivity together. Their identical underwear (sober black but pleasingly scanty) amplifies that sensation. Are their garments Government issue - or have they been provided by their captors, having relieved them of their uniforms?

Whichever the case, they are not soldiers any more. Just a names and numbers. 

These boys seem to be sitting on a mattress, not quite big enough to be a bed. Then you realise that the mattress is inside a metal box, and they are sitting on the front edge. The box is just big enough to accommodate them both, if not in comfort exactly. Their facial expressions suggest they have just discovered they are about to be sealed inside it. Prime specimens about to be transported to ......
Well, you can decide that!  

There is a video clip for this piece, but it doesn't add an awful lot to the snapshot.

 

Miloinvinculis - Bull Barn Milking 2

Industrial Milking is a popular topic at this blog, and 'Milo' makes an interesting contribution to the imagery of the technology with this piece. The exact mechanics of extraction look a bit sketchy, though. One senses this is more a prank on the side than part of a serious industrial enterprise. 

One man doesn't make a milking factory, no matter how productive he appears to be!

 

 

Miloinvinculis - Bull Barn Milking1

In this gentleman's case, the picture cropping draws a veil over the extraction mechanism, but you get the impression that it's more push than pull - unless there's some very clever gadgetry inside his trunks! That would account for his strained expression, of course. 

Nevertheless, these two donors would be more than acceptable recruits to the factory line. I could see this man's torso getting a good deal of personal attention from the staff. 

Such is the fate of 'Mark' in the next video mini clip....

 

Mark 1 Extra (video clip)
 

In the clip above, the very muscular Mark is seen struggling with his restraints until one of his minders descends on him and distracts him by proceeding to worship his pulsating body. The characterisation of the captor for me is worth the watch, with mighty shoulders and giant arm muscles, he's bursting out of his tight, white vest/tank top (see below).

 

 

bod

Mark's Body is Worshipped

Mark also has a starring role in a longer, mini-epic (9 mins) with similar imagery, but darker content. It's a tougher watch, but the outcome has a surprise twist that's worth waiting for. 

 

Miloinvinculis - Electro 5

This handsome pair of hunks get starring roles in one of Milo's most ambitious projects to date. Their predicament is a great 'getting to know you' situation - even for military buddies. There's a lengthy clip which shows them torn between attempts to pull apart and lapses into mutual consolation. Their grim dance is conducted with visibly indrawn breaths, heaving chests, aborted kisses and (occasionally) pulsating briefs before a sort of consummation is finally realised. 

However, the dark side to this artist's work surfaces when it turns out that the buddies romancing is just one aspect to their predicament, as implied by the title and, less obviously, by the metallic briefs they are dressed in. Separate clips show them being interrupted every time they show desire, with graphic electrical effects, body convulsions and even their bulges making responses.

 

 The 'US Water Sports Team' video (above) is one of my favourites, a little gem with lurking menace. It makes a decent stab (by AI standards) at showing a swimmer being tied up. That's a process that conventional films usually pass over entirely or else show in excruciating detail, fumbles and all. 

 

Creating an AI image or video doesn't involve actors, but the AI engine can be just as much of a diva, with ideas and boundaries of its own that can only be circumvented by patient repetition or trickery. 

 ~

For more, visit Miloinvinculis at Deviant Art

See also my posts - Staked out 

 the Sailor Punishment series and  

The Strange Disappearance of Patrol 27 

all here at mitchmen 

Another Sailor Punished

Pirate Figurehead

 Another great dunking punishment video from the age of sail.

More art by miloinviculis in 'Third Sailor punished'

 See also the first sailor punished on this ship  

~ 

 Subscribers to the 'follow me' feed need to visit the blog to see the video above:- Another Sailor Punished 

otklad - AI Spanking Art 4

1

 This is a great image that doesn't really need to be particularised. A young man in shorts is intimidated by the muscular, older man right behind him. In otklad's universe he's probably cutting a switch for his own punishment under close supervision, his offence undisclosed, but there are many other interpretations. 

 

He's already cut an enormous pile of wood, suggesting he's gardening, pruning the tree, not just a delinquent on punishment detail. I can't help thinking that he looks a lot more excited than you'd expect a gardener to look too.... 

 

Hard At Work

 

 My take, for a change, is benign. Even when they are old enough to be at work, young men often have a terrible fear of their elders seeing into their soul.

 

 

2

This one is a bit harder to fathom. The characterisations of the two men don't readily fit the 'cut your own punishment switch' scenario. They seem too mature, and the spectacles disable conventional stereotyping. 

Of course, no man is ever too old or too responsible to be spanked, and there's a certain deliciousness in that. But if he's not a pliable son, still living at home, what's he doing in his shorts in the garden?  

 

Sauna Surprise

 

I resorted to the gardener meme again, recalling those ads where women ogle the bare top hunk mowing the lawn. The spectacles give this one a bit more class. The thinking man's crumpet, but not an easy lay on the face of it.

Woodshed Switch

 

This role reversal exploits the more equal relationship in a surprising way. Normally, spanking punishment is conducted in the privacy of the woodshed, to spare the victim's blushes. These look like spacious, private gardens, but the implied proximity of the punishment to home makes the open air option much more humiliating - and dangerous too, if there is a shared secret involved, providing the leverage for the neighbour. 

 

John just has to hope that nosy, Mrs Pringle doesn't pop her head over the fence for a chat with her attractive neighbour.

 

 

3. Missed Another Practice

Ah, the locker room substituted for the woodshed and the good old, traditionalist coach enforcing discipline. He can't be left out of any spanking equation, but changes in society over the years make it increasingly improbable for younger members of our tribe. 

 

The threat of being dropped from the team is no less potent, though. Just ask any Premier League footballer.  The coach's long-suffering expression here makes this image a little bit special, and I built on that for my take.....

 

 

Home Alone

'Home Alone' was never like this, but then again, those burglars didn't find a fully grown up, young man in occupation of the house when they thought the householder was away on holiday. This one's not been left behind by mistake, but has reached an age when he makes his own holiday arrangements with his friends from Uni. 

 

This intruder has obviously done his homework and has detailed plans for enjoying their long weekend together. He's calculated that a bit of controlled aggression will ensure compliance - and it's working so far. He even brought a change of clothing and selection of toys for them to play with. Next up is adjournment to the bedroom, for a careful, military style, inspection of the younger man's shaving.

 

 

4. A Little Chat

 

Otklad draws a veil over causation here too, but the undressed 'son' in this scenario is obviously too old to submit to being spanked easily. His father doesn't look much older for that matter. Perhaps he's a step-father, in which case friction between them is almost a given. He is also allowed to be cruel. Perhaps the step-son, home on vacation from uni, is learning that the house rules have changed in his absence. 

 

It was this image that suggested the 'Home Alone' scenario to me. The father figure with the retro look here, irresistibly reminded me of one of those cute, earnest detectives from crime dramas in the days when realism played second fiddle to star appeal at the box office.  

 

  

Interview With A Victim

The keen, young detective, in his quest for the truth, asks the victim to reenact the ordeal he suffered at the hands of a cruel intruder. Being a little wet behind the ears, he doesn't realise how embarrassing his questions are, particularly for a young man who has stripped to his underwear for the demonstration - and also finds him very attractive. 

 

You might suppose that the brush was used to dish out a traditional, post-shower paddling. In fact, the intruder's modus operandi was much the same as the one above. The shower was followed by a cleanliness inspection and finding himself dissatisfied, the invader finished the job himself. With relish.

 

The victim reluctantly explained that his second cleansing included vigorous scrubbing under the armpits and between the legs. Where the brush ended up after that meant that the intruder's DNA would probably have been wiped off the handle. 

 

More to come! 

 Read this series from Part 1

search "otklad" at mitchmen  

 

~ 

The imagery of otklad on 'X' is a great archive. 

He's now creating newer art on otklad.bsky.social 

Dr Smith 2 - Mike The Construction Worker (continued)

Continued from Mike the Construction Worker, Part 1

 

 

16

When Mike comes to, he's lying face down on the settee, in his own home.

He can feel tape across his mouth and finds his hands are cuffed behind his back too.

Then he realises he has been stripped completely naked. 

17

 

Mike remembers Dr Smith attacking him, but can't see him anywhere now.

His groggy thoughts are suddenly interrupted by his phone ringing on the table.

He struggles to get to it before it stops, hoping to somehow summon help.

 

 

18

But before he can raise the alarm, Smith returns and takes the phone away.

Gently stroking Mike, he explains that he needs a healthy male for his experiments.

Then he roughly rips the tape from Mike's mouth and chloroforms him again. 

 

19

When Mike awakens again, it's all very different. 

He's standing in a dimly lit, cold garage, his arms are secured above his head.

He shouts abuse at Smith and demands release. Smith stifles his pleas.

 

 

20

Smith punches Mike and stuffs a white cloth in his mouth to silence him. 

It's a strip torn from Mike's own T-shirt, cut off him at their first meeting.

Mike spits the gag out contemptuously.

 

 

21

The Doctor pummels him again and leaves him hanging.

At that point, Mike notices that there are wires attached to his body.

The cables connect to a mysterious, complicated box placed on the table beside him. 

 

22

 

The Doctor explains that he intends to heal Mike's injuries using electroconvulsive therapy.

 Mike cannot understand what he means, but feels deeply aware of his naked vulnerability.

He tugs frantically at the restraints securing his wrists above his head, but they hold fast.

 

23

Abruptly, the Doctor starts the treatment and Mike suddenly feels it buzzing through him

All his thoughts and anger are swept aside by a mushrooming pain in his chest.

24

 

Again and again, Mike's body is hit by searing jolts.

Until finally he collapses, hanging from the wrist restraints. 

Only then does Smith let him down.

 

 

25

But with Mike writhing on the floor,

he cannot resist giving him one final dose of the treatment. 

 

26

Exhausted by it all, Mike finally passes out 

 

 

27

 

When he comes to, he's lying on a bed, 

but it's not his bedroom, and he's still a captive.

He's gagged and his arms and legs are bound with cling film.

He recognises the metal box from the garage, lying beside him.

28

Smith returns and Mike valiantly demands his release.

In response, Smith picks up two pads attached to the box.

Too late, Mike realises what it is.

 

~

 

 I won't reveal the ending. Will Mike escape? Or is he doomed?

To find out, visit Mikes page at Film 911 for plot and video link.

 

~

Read Mike the Construction Worker, Part 1